Telecommunication carriers regularly enter into wholesale contractual agreements with other carriers to access all or part of the other carrier's telecommunication networks and/or telecommunication services. For example, a first telecommunication carrier may contract to use another carrier's network to complete toll-free telephone calls in geographical areas that the first telecommunication carrier does not service, or provide additional capacity on routes for which the first carrier may have limited capacity.
Traditionally, a carrier will charge a negotiated fee to route calls using the carrier's network and the rates are valid for some period of time. It is possible, however, for a telecommunication carrier to practice “least cost routing” to reduce telecommunication costs. Least cost routing involves using routing tables in conjunction with least cost routing software to compare rates charged by competing carriers, and making call routing decisions based on which carrier provides the lowest fee to use its network. Often, least cost routing occurs without notifying any of the carriers with higher rates. As a result, such carriers unknowingly lose network traffic and business to carriers with lower rates.